Page Text
________________
250
VEDIC HYMNS.
Aditi, and Heaven and Earth. Where two or more verses come together, the fact that Aditi is mentioned by the side of Heaven and Earth may seem less convincing, because in these Nivids or long strings of invocations different names or representatives of one and the same power are not unfrequently put together. For instance,
X, 36, 1-3. usháså náktà brihati (sti) su-pésaså dyāvakshấmå várunah mitráh aryamă, indram huve marútah párvatån apáh âdityãn dyűvåprithivi (sti) apáh svấr (sti
svãh). 1.
dyaúh ka nah prithivi ka prá-ketaså ritávarî (ity ritavari) rakshatâm ámhasah risháh, mã duh-vidátrâ nih-ritih nah îsata tát devấnám ávah adyá vrinimahe. 2.
visvasmât nah aditih påtu ámhasah måtã mitrásya várunasya revátah svãh-vat gyótih avrikám nasîmahi. 3.
1. There are the grand and beautiful Morning and Night, Heaven and Earth, Varuna, Mitra, Aryaman; I call Indra, the Maruts, the Waters, the Adityas, Heaven and Earth, the Waters, the Heaven.
2. May Heaven and Earth, the provident, the righteous, preserve us from sin and mischief! May the malevolent Nirriti not rule over us! This blessing of the gods we ask for to-day.
3. May Aditi protect us from all sin, the, mother of Mitra and of the rich Varuna! May we obtain heavenly light without enemies ! This blessing of the gods we ask for to-day.
Here we cannot but admit that Dyávákshấma, heaven and earth, is meant for the same divine couple as Dyâvâprithivi, heaven and earth, although under slightly differing names they are invoked separately. The waters are invoked twice in the same verse and under the same name; nor is there any indication that, as in other passages, the waters of the sky are meant as distinct from the waters of the sea. Nevertheless even here, Aditi, who in the third verse is called distinctly the mother of Mitra and Varuna, cannot well have been meant for the same deity as Heaven and Earth, mentioned in the second verse; and the author of
Digitized by
Digized by Google
| SR No. | 007685 |
| Book Title | Grihya Sutras |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Hermann Oldenberg |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1886 |
| Total Pages | 2642 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 49 MB |